Stay
by Megan Faye
Summary: She asked him to stay.


I tired to think back to when I fell in-love with her while I waited for the woman to answer the door. She always took her time to answer, hoping that whomever was there would lose interest and leave her alone. Its one of the things I love about her. When Did I fall in-love with her? I wanted to go home, but when Kathy told me I was too late, and she'd moved on, it didn't hurt...at all. I was strangely all right with it.

Kathy sat on the porch a while and talked to me about it. She asked me why I was okay with it. When I couldn't answer, Kathy filled in.

"Elliot, you are lonely. You want to be loved, and I am here. That's why you want to come home. You're in-love with her." I don't remember what I said, but Kathy laughed at me. "You can't even admit it to yourself, Elliot." I froze. She was right. I am in-love with this woman who is taking her sweet time answering the door. "El, we're friends, and we always will be, but your aren't in-love with me."

So I hugged her and left. Kathy told me to come here, so I'm here, at Olivia's door. Hoping she'shome. Praying she'll let me in. Begging God that she'll let me into her life as more than her partner.

"Elliot?" her voice called from the other side of the door.

"Hey, lemme in. I need to talk," I said. That wasn't how I wanted to tell her. I wanted to have a massive argument, and go after her in the rain and shout it out to her in the streets. She would turn to me, and stare. We'd both be soaked, and she'd kiss me while I was trying to explain everything, rain hiding the tears that would be pouring from my eyes. It would be like some romantic movie scene.

"Hey, what's up?" she asked, moving from the door as soon as it was open to let me in. She was in jogging shorts and a tank top. Too cold to go rain-running like that. She just stood at the counter sipping from a water bottle, barefoot. She keeps her apartment so hot. "Stabler? You alive in there?" she asked, grinning.

"Yeah. I think I am now."

"Excuse me?"

"Liv, I..." I stole her water bottle and took a gulp and cleared my throat. "Sorry...its really warm in here."

"Elliot, its getting late. Is there a reason you're here? Or do you just like watching me drink water in my pajamas."

"Both," I said before I could stop myself. She turned to look at me, and she looked a little scared. I sipped from her water again.

"Elliot," she started gently. This sounds like a let down speech.

"No, let me." I took a deep breath and started pacing. "Olivia, I'm in-love with you. I can understand if you don't feel the same way, but don't ask me to hide it any more." I stopped and stared at her.

"How much have you had to drink?" she asked.

"None."

"What?"

"I haven't had a drop to drink, Liv. This is me. Just me, and-" I pulled her to me and kissed her. She didn't kiss back...not at first, so I started to pull away. But, Liv pulled me back, and kissed me like I've never been kissed before.

"How long?" she whispered when we parted.

"How long?"

"How long have you been in-love with me?" I hoisted her to sit on the counter. My hands were resting on her hips and I stared into her eyes.

"I loved you the minute I met you. I've been in-love with you since the moment I met you."

"You were infatuated."

"Olivia, I don't know when I fell in-love with you, but I just know that once I did fall in-love with you, I couldn't imagine a time where I wasn't in love with you." Liv laughed at me.

"Can you tell me without sounding like a sappy movie?" she asked. I admitt, it was a little cheesey sounding. "Just be Elliot."

"Okay; I love you. You're a beautiful woman, inside and out, and anyone who doesn't see that is blind or gay. I'm neither." She smiled. Not that one where she's content. I finally am on the receiving end of her wrinkled-nosed flirty smile. I can feel my heart pounding in my chest. I could wait a life-time to see that again. "I love that."

"What?"

"Flirty-smile thing you got goin' on. You don't do that enough." She laughed and smiled again.

"I flirt plenty, Stabler. Just never with you."

"How 'bout now?"

"Now's good," she said. I pulled her back to me and kissed her again.

"Liv," I started when she put her finger over my lips.

"Stay."

"Where?"

"Here."

"In the kitchen?" Olivia rolled her eyes.

"With me."

"Tonight?" I asked, grinning.

"Forever."

"I think that can be arranged." I lifted her into my arms and kissed her again, knowing that she felt the same asI do without her having to tell me. God, I love this girl!

"Tell me again."

"What?"

"That you'll stay."

"I'm not going anywhere, Liv. I swear." She smiled and kissed me again. "I'll stay."


End file.
